Fear grips residents of Nsukka as kidnappers terrorize people

Anxiety, confusion and fear enveloped the University town of Nsukka, Enugu state following the kidnap of a prominent petroleum merchant and the shooting of an associate professor of the University of Nigeria, last Tuesday Night.

Crime Alert gathered that the senior lecturer in the department of social work and local government administration of the University of Nigeria and proprietor of a flourishing private secondary school, (Ejiofor comprehensive international school) who resides at Oloto II, street, Nsukka,had gone to a nearby street on an errand when three armed men on a motorcycle accosted him and demanded for his car key.

Eyewitnesses said the associate Professor allegedly refused to surrender his car key but instead threw it into the bush, an action that made the hoodlums to shoot him on the leg and sped away with their motorcycle, while passersby scampered for safety on hearing the gun shot.

The gunmen reportedly raced for about two poles from the point of shooting the associate Professor when they cited the petroleum merchant whose name was given simply as Aruma, the proprietor of Akalaka filling station along Obollo road, Nsukka, driving into his residence. They followed and forced him back into the car, hemmed him inside his car at gun point and drove away while the rider of their motor cycle followed closely to an unknown destination.

Crime Alert learnt that as soon as they disappeared with the fuel merchant,his family and other residents burst into wild cries which attracted people to the scene.

The next morning, after several attempts to track the hoodlums, fierce-looking mobile police men, soldiers and plain cloth policemen besieged the street where he was shot called Ofulonu and started carrying out a stop-and-search mission of all manner of motor vehicles and motorcycles, an operation which lasted for several hours and compelled residents of the streets and inhabitants of the town to be mindful of their movements.

It was gathered that the wounded university don, Dr.Ejiofor, has been taken to the National Orthopedic hospital, Enugu for treatment after he was given first aidtreatment at an undisclosed hospital in Nsukka. The whereabouts of the kidnapped petrol merchant, Aruma, is not yet known. His abductors have also not opened up channels for discussion for his release as at the time of this report.

Security agents made up of the police and army personnel have been making frantic efforts, combing all nooks and crannies in search of the abductors and their victim.

Contacted for comment, a senior Police Officer attached to the police area command, Nsukka, who pleaded anonymity said that the Police would unravel the circumstances surrounding the kidnap and the shooting in no distant time. The senior Police Officer pleaded with the general public to give useful information to the Police to enable them surmount and unravel the atrocious acts of hoodlums in the town.